Aekyung Industrial's '2080' Toothpaste Suspected of Containing Banned Ingredient... 25 Million Units Distributed

Voluntary Recall of All Distributed Products Underway
Ingredient Banned in Oral Care Products Since October 2016

It has been confirmed that triclosan, an ingredient banned by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, was mixed into Aekyung Industrial's toothpaste brand '2080', and approximately 25 million units have been distributed in the market.

According to Aekyung Industrial on January 13, an internal investigation revealed that triclosan, which is prohibited in oral care products, has been included in products manufactured since April 2023. The total volume of these products is estimated at about 31 million units, of which 25 million units, excluding 6 million units stored at Aekyung Industrial's logistics center, have already been distributed in the market.

However, around 82% of the distributed products are single-use 4g units or small-sized products such as 20g and 50g. Triclosan is a preservative used to prevent products from spoiling easily. In South Korea, its use in oral care products has been banned since October 2016.

Aekyung Industrial stated that not all products manufactured since April 2023 contained the ingredient, but after confirming the contamination, the company halted the release of inventory and is conducting a voluntary recall of all distributed products.

The recall applies to six products: '2080 Basic Toothpaste', '2080 Daily Care Toothpaste', '2080 Smart Care Plus Toothpaste', '2080 Classic Care Toothpaste', '2080 Triple Effect Alpha Fresh Toothpaste', and '2080 Triple Effect Alpha Strong Toothpaste'.

All these products are manufactured by Domy in China and imported and sold by Aekyung Industrial. The concentration of triclosan detected in the recalled products was found to be up to 0.15% or less.

According to Domy, Aekyung Industrial was informed that the production processes were not completely separated, raising the possibility of cross-contamination of equipment. In addition, cleaning and sterilization of equipment and piping were not thorough, and triclosan was used during the disinfection process of the cleaning water system.

Aekyung Industrial explained that, aside from the six products subject to recall, all other toothpaste products are produced domestically and there are no issues with their quality or ingredients.